No matter what it takes
by ilovedamon07
Summary: What would take for this cold hearted man to fall in love?
1. Chapter 1

**NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES**

**Chapter one: A Mirage **

It was another normal noon session for the regulars of Seigaku.

"It's so HOT!!" a voice moaned loudly.

"Stop complaining, Eiji!" panted the person beside him.

"But it is!!" he whined, wiping a trickle of sweat from his eyes. "Admit it, Momo…"

"Yeah, but I'm not bawling like a walrus…"

"BUT IT'S-"

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!!"

The two players slowly turned around to look at the person who shouted. They didn't hurry, because they didn't want to hear the punishment they were to receive for being so noisy. '_We're doomed…'_ they both thought. Because, there, standing in front of them with both arms crossed in front of his broad chest, was the captain of the tennis club. In the melting heat, it was like seeing Satan himself.

"Uh… hey, there captain!" Momo greeted in fake enthusiasm. "Isn't it a wonderful and glorious day?"

"5 minutes ago you were complaining of the heat…" a bored voice muttered quietly, but was audibly heard by the three.

They looked around and saw a young teen of around 12 years old with a white cap pulled down his eyes, giving him a somewhat mysterious demeanor. He was leaning coolly under an oak tree, balancing a tennis ball on the side of his racket and making it bounce up and down.

"Shut up… oh please, God, make him shut up…" Momo quietly said a prayer to save him from the wrath of their captain. But it was too late.

"50 laps. Each." Their captain's icy voice muttered.

"Caaappptttaaaaiiinnnn!" the two whined.

"Around the school."

"WHAT?!"

"If you whine one more time, it'll be around the world." He turned his back on them, and took of his glasses to wipe them on the hem of his shirt. After replacing them back on his nose, he stared at the two who were still standing there, looking at him. His eye twitched. "WHAT are you waiting for?"

"Uh, yeah! We were about to leave!! Hehehe…" the two sped off.

"Nice one, Tezuka." A voice said, with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Inui… you're late." Tezuka said, raising an eyebrow. "You're never late."

"I was lost on the road of life…" he said jokingly, pulling out a towel from his bag. The freshmen, who were picking up tennis balls scattered on the court, stopped midway from their jobs and gawked at their senpai. Inui, who felt the eyes of everyone on the court on him, turned around, with a puzzled look on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"Y-you… you _joked_." A freshman said in awe, his eyes wide like saucers. Eichizen almost sweatdropped. But he was too cool for that, so he didn't.

"You freshmen know better than to speak like that to your senpai," a disappointed voice said behind them. The freshmen panicked and looked quickly behind them.

"S-sorry Oishi-senpai!!"

"Get back to work."

"Y-yes sir!" the young teens answered obediently and quickly returned back to their jobs.

"Aren't you a little harsh?"

"I see Kawamura's here…"

"Don't change the subject."

"It's called discipline, Kawamura," Oishi said, sighing. "You should stop being too nice."

"It's not in my genes, y'know."

"Alright, that's enough chitchat," Tezuka decided. "We've got a session to do."

The sun showed no mercy. They were just going through their first 15 minutes of practice, but already ¾ of the members had given up. The ones left were the only ones who could stand up against the heat; the regulars. Tezuka sighed. He had never seen the members like this. Usually, they were enthusiastic and full of spirit, but now… they… they're like…

"Dried-up vegetables."

Tezuka turned around to look at Oishi. "Sorry?" he asked.

"Dried-up vegetables." Oishi repeated. "That's what the members look like."

"I can't believe you're comparing me to the most hated type of food in the world." Kaido muttered, wiping his neck with his already damp towel.

Tezuka removed his glasses once more and wiped them on his shirt, and wiped his face. He replaced his glasses and quietly watched the freshmen.

"Look! An apple!"

"Hey, it looks really juicy…"

"I saw it first!" the teen said, and grabbing it to take a bite. Tezuka choked on his water bottle.

"WAIT! THAT'S A-"

"OOOOUUUUCCCHHH!!"

"…tennis ball…" Tezuka finished lamely. "Ugh… not again…" Oishi and Kawamura were doubling up in laughter. That was probably the umpteenth mirage the freshmen saw. It was amazing what a little heat could do. The seniors had been laughing their butts out for the last few minutes because of that, and even he, Inui and Eichizen was letting out a few chuckles every now and then.

"Alright! Noon training session is officially over!" he called out. '_Damn this heat,_' he cursed to himself.

Momo and Eiji, who were just finishing their 50th lap, suddenly halted, and looked into the distance.

"Hey—it's a chick!"

They squinted their eyes in the heat, and bent slightly forward for a better look. Their eyes widened. They had never seen a girl like her—she was so different from all the other girls in their class.

"Wow, she's HOT!" Momo whispered. Eiji blinked.

"Hot? Of COURSE!" he said triumphantly. "IT'S THE HEAT! It's a mirage, Momo, so stop dreaming." They looked at each other, rubbed their eyes, and looked again.

"See? She's there! It's not a mirage!!"

"Of course she is!" Eiji said angrily. "Have you seen a girl in this god forsaken school that's THAT hot?"

"… You HAVE a point…" Momo said quietly.

"Good. Let's finish our last lap."

"But she's hot!!"

"Shut up, Momo!"

"She looks so real, see!"

"She's a MIRAGE, Momo!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!!"

"Prove it!!"

"Fine!" Eiji said angrily, and stomped off to one of the benches and grabbed his racket. Picking up a ball from the court, he walked back to Momo. He glared at him. "I'll SHOW you!"

Throwing the ball high unto the air, he waited for it to fall a bit, then hit it as hard as he could with his racket. The ball flew at an amazingly fast speed, and then…

THWACK!!

"OUCH!!"

"OH MY GOD! SHE'S REAL!" Momo gasped.

Tezuka and the rest of the members rushed over to Momo and Eiji.


	2. Chapter 2:TENNIS,A BALL, AND A HOT CHICK

CHAPTER 2: **TENNIS, A BALL, AND A HOT CHICK**

THWACK!!

"OUCH!!"

"OH MY GOD! SHE'S REAL!" Momo gasped.

Tezuka and the rest of the members rushed over to Momo and Eiji.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!!" Kaido hollered, while the freshmen (including Eichizen!!), and a few seniors were laughing in the background. Tezuka wanted to tear his hair out. REALLY. But he didn't, of course. He was thinking of how he could explain to the principal that someone from the tennis club IDIOTICALLY hit a walking girl, because… well, because of whatever reason the two idiots in front of him had to say.

"Well… we… we thought…" Eiji started.

"You THOUGHT?!" Eichizen asked exasperatedly. "You HAVE NO BRAINS!!"

"Ouch." Fuji whispered to Kawamura, who was standing on tip toes to get a glimpse of the hit girl.

"We… we just thought she was a mirage…"

"SO?!" Oishi asked, his eyes almost burning with anger. _Oh my God, the principal's gonna assassinate us…_

"We… we checked if she really was a mirage, or not…"

"BY HITTING HER WITH A **TENNIS BALL?!**" Kaido raged.

Momo was about to piss in his shorts. Well, if you were in front of a raging Kaido like what HE was experiencing, it wasn't surprising if it DID happen. "Y-yes…" he said in a very tiny voice.

"You have finally out-'stupided' yourselves…" Eichizen muttered, a smirk forming on his face.

"Oh my god, that was so hilarious…" Fuji said, still chuckling. Tezuka finally spoke up.

"It won't be if the principal finds out that two members from the tennis club," he said, facing the already scared-to-death members, and hollered the next part. "HIT AN INNOCENT—" Tezuka said.

"…and hot," Momo quipped in.

"AND HOT GIRL!!" Tezuka finished.

Silence. Silence. Silence.

The freshmen once more gaped at another senpai. Tezuka blinked. _Wait, what did I say??_ He thought, then instantly turned a bright red. He towered angrily over Momo.

"ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MORE TROUBLE??!!" he shouted at him.

"But she's—"

"I DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!!"

"Tezuka-senpai just said—mmpphh!!" a freshman said, but Inui instantly clamped his hand over the youngster's mouth.

"You don't want to finish that sentence…" he whispered quietly. "Thank me later for saving your life…"

The freshman just nodded his head in agreement.

Finally, tired of staying on tip toes, Kawamura spoke up. "Shouldn't we check on the girl or something?" he asked. Silence, then,

"I'LL GO!" Momo said, already running over, but Tezuka caught him by the back of his collar, and yanked him back.

"YOU are in no way going over there." Tezuka said, every word filled with anger. Momo nodded silently.

"THEN **I**'LL GO!" Eiji said triumphantly. "Alri—gyaaahhh!!" he shrieked, as someone pulled him back the same way Tezuka yanked Momo back.

"ARE YOU SANE?!" Kaido raged. "Neither one of you idiots are going there!"

"It should be Tezuka." Eichizen said, looking at the tired-looking captain of the tennis club.

"Why ME?" he asked. '_This kid really wants me dead!' _He thought. '_You'd think, after all we've been through, he'd have a little kindness and gratitude… backstabber…_'

"Cause you're the captain." Eichizen said, a mischievous smile forming on his face (*faint!!*) "You're responsible for the whole team, and stuff."

Tezuka shut up. The brat was right, that was true. He sighed, and thought _'I need to resign or something…'_

"Fine…"

"Hey, Tezuka, can I come?" Kawamura asked.

"Yeah, me too…" Oishi said, grinning. Tezuka ALMOST sweatdropped as the other members of the club started saying, "Me too!"

"What if EVERYONE except dumbass and moron here comes with me?" he asked, while massaging his temples. _'This job is making me grow older every second… I REALLY need to resign…_' he thought.

Eichizen shrugged. "Why not?"

Tezuka braced himself for the worst. "Alright, guys." He sighed. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, while all of that was going on, something else was happening on the other side.

The girl had fallen down on the dusty ground, moaning.

"See, honey? There's danger everywhere." An elegant-looking woman in her forties said, smiling while wincing a bit at the look of her daughter's forehead. "You should have listened to us."

"We should have brought along Kristoff and Vladim—"

"Dad, it's fine…" the girl said, cutting him off but still not sitting up. "I'm alive, aren't I?" she said skeptically.

"Oh, honey, you don't need to endure this sort of pain…"

"Mom, you sound like a novel writer…"

"But, sweetie—"

"I'm FINE!" she said. A pause then, "I just don't want to sit up yet… my head's swimming."

"Oh, Viktor, we have to call the family doctor…"

"ALL THE WAY FROM _RUSSIA_?!" the girl said exasperatedly. "Have you gone— ow…"

Viktor Miaskovsky huffed, his thick moustache bristling. He was not pleased with this school. Was it right to enroll his daughter here? The apple of his eye? His _heir_? He nearly fainted when he asked himself: was it _safe_ for her daughter to stay here? In this school? Yet Olga had never failed his family. Olga had been with the family since he was born, and was more of a part of the family than a nurse. Besides, Olga had been here before, in Japan, and claims that it's a beautiful and completely safe environment for his young daughter.

He stared again at the young woman that was his daughter, and nearly sweatdropped when he heard her moan. He didn't know why she picked Japan—out of all the other countries they've gone to! She said she wanted to stay somewhere warm, that had all four seasons, because she was tired of always getting sick back home in sweet, sweet Russia.

There was Australia, but that was too hot, and there was almost nothing there but deserts. Then, there was china. But it was too populated. Thailand? Same reason. Malaysia was okay, but the dialect was too hard, and it was her first time to learn it. They didn't even THINK of going to the Philippines—what with the unexpected weather. Plus, there was a storm there when they were about to go, so they decided to cancel it completely.

But when she arrived here in Japan, her foul mood during the trip had changed. She instantly fell in love with **Mt**. Fuji at first glance, and insisted that the whole family go there for a climb, despite the fact that she had a cold during that time. The cherry blossoms that greeted her as she descended from the plane delighted her, and she was in a very cheerful mood all throughout their sight-seeing. She even gave the principal of this school one of her rare heartwarming smiles. She was very happy… until the ball hit her painfully at the side of her forehead. And here she was now, moaning in pain. Nevertheless, she wasn't cursing anyone or anything yet, and that was a first. What sort of magic did Japan have that Russia simply _didn't_, making her want to stay here instead of her own homeland? He'd have given anything to have that sort of magic, so that she'd stay, under the surveillance of his watchful eyes. And yet…

He looked up at the brown sparrows on soaring across the noon sky. His own sparrow was now testing her wings, and would soon take flight. He grunted. No, she was no sparrow, but a glorious and radiant swan, with its elegant white feathers and graceful movements. He looked at her again, and allowed himself a small smile. Yes, his swan would soon fly off. But his swan would always, always find her way home.

"Dear, don't you feel hot?" The woman beside Viktor asked, her voice trembling. The young teen hadn't moved an inch after she said that her head was swimming.

"I don't…" she muttered. After a few minutes passed, she asked, "Where's my hat?"

"Here, _ma chére_," the older woman said motherly, handing her the large and attractive straw hat. The girl had made it herself, during one of her bored days in Russia. It was simple, but surprisingly attractive. It was wonderful how she could turn something so plain into something… elegant, yet not TOO elegant. Somehow, she had always tried her best to squash that 'royal' part of her, and had thanked her mother countless times that she looked more French than Russian. It wasn't because she hated her Russian grandparents; it was because she didn't want to become part of their royal stuff. She had stated that fact a long time ago, when she turned fifteen. A feeling she had always kept since her childhood days, when 'grand-papa' never let her out of his sight. The older woman laughed inwardly. Maybe it was a Russian thing for fathers and grandfathers to be overly protective of their daughters…

"Sweetie, please stand up."

The hat was covering her face. "I don't want you see me like this." She said stubbornly, acting very much like her father. "I don't want ANYONE to see me like this…"

"Oh, stop your nonsense…" Viktor said, slightly chuckling at the fact that she had gotten her attitude from him. "Stand up. Or at least, sit up."

"…my head's still swimming…" she moaned. "It hurts…it really does…"

Sadly, she had also inherited his pride.

"Maybe if you sit up—?" his father asked.

"No… the pain worsens…"

"Viktor…"

"Easy, Louise," Viktor replied, taking his wife's trembling hands into his. "She WILL be fine. She is, after all, a Miaskovsky."

At that moment, our 'heroes' arrived at the scene of the crime, and, since Viktor saw Tezuka carrying a tennis racket, he turned away from his family and stared angrily down at Tezuka. At that moment, Tezuka blinked, and nearly slapped himself.

'_Oh my God!! I'm carrying a freakin' tennis racket! Shit!!_' he thought desperately.

"Pardon me, but…" Viktor's left eye twitched as he restrained himself from strangling the young man in front of him. "Are you the person responsible for what happened to my daughter?" he asked, motioning his large palm towards the girl who still lay sprawled on the ground.

Tezuka equaled the old gentleman with a polite stare, and said, "I'm sorry for what happened. But let me assure you that it was nothing more but an accident." He said, bowing low in sincerity… and fear, of course.

"Yes, sir. We're very sorry…" Fuji said, bowing beside Tezuka. The rest of the members bowed and muttered their apologies, and as Tezuka looked up, his eyes slightly widened when he saw the cold eyes crinkle as the rather intimidating old man gave a small smile.

"No worries, young man." He said. "It was, after all, an accident."

'_Sure it was…'_ Tezuka thought. _'I accidentally trained two idiots to hit their targets accurately… oh, fuck.'_

"Do you need us to move her?" Fuji asked. Viktor looked at the brown-haired and gentle-eyed young man before him.

"Hmm, I daresay I do…" he said, quite apologetically. "I'd do it myself, if I wasn't this old…" Viktor allowed himself to laugh. It was a cheerful, booming laugh, that surprised (and scared, for some others) the members.

"Dad… what's so funny?" the girl weakly asked. "Don't tell me you're laughing at me… ow…"

"Oh, Viktor, she's speaking!" Louise said, her eyes slightly teary.

"Yes, dearest, I told you so."

"I'll do it… is that okay?" Fuji asked.

"It would be greatly appreciated." Viktor replied fatherly.

Fuji walked forward, and knelt on one knee at the girl's side. A large straw hat covered most of her face, but as he squinted, he was able to see a part of her face, around the eye. The hat was held by her hand which was holding the part of her head that got hit. The tennis ball lay innocently a few meters away from its victim.

"Do you mind if I carry you to the clinic?"

"My… my head feels dizzy…" she said quietly. Her voice was not like the voices of the other girls which were high-pitched or too low. It was soft yet strong at the same time, and had an accent which Fuji could not quite put his finger on. His eyes traveled over to the couple, then back to the girl. He chuckled.

"I promise I'll be gentle." He smiled at her, because he knew she could see him, though not so clearly. "Tell me if you feel discomfort while I'm picking you up, okay?"

"…sure…" she said faintly.

'_The heat's getting to her…'_ he thought. Carefully, he slid his right arm under her nape, and his left under her knees. Slowly, he stood up, because standing up too quickly might make her feel dizzier than she already was. It was crucial that he be sensitive to how she feels. As he lifted her, he was surprised at how light she felt and how petite her body frame was. Before he carried her, he was readying himself for the weight he was about to carry, estimating how heavy or light she would be. This came as a shock, because he thought she might be a bit heavier; she was too light for a woman her age.

"Lean your head against me." He advised quietly. Slowly, the girl leaned the side of her head against the part where the neck and the shoulder met. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes…" her voice was weak. Walking slowly but in long strides so that they could reach the shade quicker, Fuji carried her to the safety of the school.

The freshmen wanted to get a closer look, but Tezuka drew the line then and there.

"She's an injured person, not a display animal at the zoo!" he said angrily at the freshmen. Eichizen was the only one, as always, who didn't bother himself with how she looked like.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: It's not just the heat **

When they reached the nurse's office, the girl still didn't remove the hat over her face. She stubbornly insists that she should have some time alone and didn't urge to bother what her father says. After a few minutes the principal of Seishun Gakuen arrived with a worried look on his face. He apologizes over and over to the couple and the girl in front of him who got hit by the tennis ball.

"I should talk to Coach Ryuizaki about this accident" he said apologetically to them

"Oh, its okay. Don't bother. After all its only an accident, right dear?" Louise said over to her daughter as she moaned.

After that the principal left. As he opened the door most of the members of the tennis club was eavesdropping to their conversation. He paused and gave them a disappointing look and asked where coach Ryuizaki is. Then he left with Oishi to talk things over with the coach. Fuji and Kawamura went to look for Tezuka to give him the message to go the principal's office right away.

Tezuka looked at his reflection tensely over the mirror of the comfort room. His thoughts went over and over what happened a while ago.

"Man, that must've hurt…" he thought as he washed his face. To his surprise, an unusual looking girl burst in to the boys' bathroom. She looked surprised as him. There was silence for a few seconds then with a horrified look on her face, she screamed. Tezuka looked stunned and it seams that his whole body was paralyzed. Finally he spoke,.

"I'm sorry but this is the boys' bathroom…" he said reluctantly as he wiped his face with his towel… but the girl can't seem to understand what Tezuka said.

"_pardoner_!!!" the girl said as she run quickly as she can.

"What did just happen?" he thought "Nah,., I'm imagining things. I need to go to principal's office…"

As his way to the principal's office he completely forgot about the bathroom incident… he nervously opened the door and saw the principal talking to coach Ryuizaki and the couple whom he had a conversation earlier they all turned their heads to Tezuka who look pale.

"Tezuka, where have you been?" coach Ryuizaki asked as she offered a chair to him

"Sorry, I was at the bath-"

"Gasp!! You!!"

"Yes, this is Kunimitsu Tezuka, captain of the boys' tennis club. I see you already met each other." Said coach Ryuizaki

"Mom! He's the guy I was talking about.. the one I saw in the bathroom!!!" the girl said while pointing to Tezuka

"Dear,. You know that it's bad to point." Louise said while reaching for her daughter's hand

"Oh, I see that the reason why she looked horrified when she returned." Ryuizaki said smiling mischievously

"You must've enter the boys' bathroom by mistake _ma chére" _Viktor said

Tezuka had no idea she was the girl who got hit by tennis ball. Finally he spoke up.

"I'm sorry I gave your daughter a fright." He said as he bow down in excuse

"How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself. Viktor Nicholas Miaskovsky, I'm very pleased to meet you, and this is my wife Louise Alexandra Miaskovsky." He said as he and Tezuka shake hands.

"They are from Russia, St. Petersburg to be exact." The principal said

"Hhhhmm… Miaskovsky??? Sounds familiar, could she be….??" Tezuka thought

"Gabrielle Yvonne Miaskovsky, the great, great grand daughter of the Grand Duchess Alexandra from the house of royal Windsor. Particularly one of the next line to the royal family. She is the one and only daughter of Viktor Miaskovsky and Louise whose mother is of course the Grand Duchess Alexandra. If Russia would still have dynasties they would probably hold the crown."

The girl seems to be irritated by this and looked away with a frown…

"Hhmmm, if I'm not mistaken, is she the one who won the French Open for the junior division?" Tezuka asked as he tries to recall whatever details he knew about the certain event.

"I daresay I was in the French open last year, but I can't continue anymore due to my physical conditions…" the girl said courtly as looked down and took grasp of her dress.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu…? How are you related to Kumamura Tezuka?" Viktor asked with great pleasure in his eyes

"He's my grandfather, but how did you-?

"The owner of the Tezuka Corporation ofcourse!! They have invested a lot in Russia, dated back to the Japanese-Russo war!!" he said in awe, Tezuka seemed amazed too.

"Aw, come on _Papa_!! We didn't fly all the way from France to talk about business here!!" Gabrielle said as she irritatingly stood up and walk to the near window to have a look at the campus.

"Right. We'll leave her under your supervision. Please take good care of her. Our plane should be here in 3 hours." Viktor said to the principal and coach Ryuizaki.

"What?! You're leaving already!! I thought you're gonna stay here for a couple of days!!" Gabrielle said exasperatedly as she approached her mother.

"I am hoping that she'll recover a bit here. I heard that you're very good in training your tennis players." His father said as he smiled to Coach Ryuizaki.

"_Mama!_! You're not listening to me!!!"

"Ma chére, we've already talked about this-"

"But you said you're staying for a couple of days. It seems that it turned out to be a couple of hours!!! Hmmpp!!" she stubbornly said to her mother.

"Actually, I want you to meet the ace players of Seigaku. Would that be ok for you Ms. Miaskovsky?" the principal asked

The girl's face turned a light bright. At least there's something to ponder on while she's in Japan. She looked at her parents who gave a quick nod and turned to Coach Ryuizaki.

"I….I guess so…." She mumbled as she frowned at her parents

"That's great. Tezuka, would you like to show her around for a while. I'm sure it'll be good for her to catch some fresh air right now." Viktor said as he smiled mildly

"Yeah Tezuka, show her around and if ever introduce her to some of the teachers if you pass across them." Coach Ryuizaki said looking intensely at Tezuka

"But,. I-"

Coach Ryuizaki gave him a look.

"Sure." He finally said "Would you like to go now?" he timidly asked the girl across in the room. To his surprise, she turned around and gave a small nod.

"Okay, it looks like I really need some air right now. I'm getting a little nauseous around here." Gabrielle said lazily. "I'll tell you when we're leaving." Her mother said as she gave her a kiss as the girl numbly hesitated as she walked away from her mother and passed in front of Tezuka, he followed her and closed the door.

It was sure an awkward moment for Tezuka, well I'm not that sure, and he's used in not talking. Unexpectedly, he acted a bit different, it was really AWKWARD.

He was trying to have a conversation after he closed the door but Gabrielle was staring into a distance, looking into nothingness then finally, Tezuka remembered something which is he was sure they have in common. Tennis.

"Um, so how long have you been playing tennis?" he asked not making any eye contact

Gabrielle looked over to Tezuka. She looked surprised but then she replied dazedly. "I started playing when I was 5."

She emotionlessly stared into the corridor. They turned right and then hear the bell ring. Students came out of the empty corridor and filled it quickly. Gabrielle ignored it, so as Tezuka did. As they walked through the corridor, many students looked surprised to see Tezuka with a foreigner. Actually, a girl. He was never seen with a girl before. Of course he gave no reaction to this. They walked down the stairs and at last reached the tennis court. Tezuka entered first.

"Come." He said to Gabrielle who seemed to have been absent minded through out the day. As she entered the court with Tezuka, everybody took notice and eventually stopped whatever they're doing.

Everybody was astounded to see the girl who came in with their captain. To everybody's observable eye, she was wearing a red sleeveless sundress. The hat she was wearing a while ago was now removed and everybody can see her. Her dazzling emerald green eyes shone brighter as the sun showed its brightest. Her eyes swept the court as she was stunned to see everyone paused. Her wavy blonde hair swayed gently as the cool breeze was felt in the court. She was standing beside Tezuka when he called.

"Regulars gather up!" Tezuka shouted

Gabrielle was looking strangely at Tezuka. "What?" he stiffly asked

"Oh, I forgot that you're the captain, that's all. What am I supposed to do here anyway?" she asked with great frustration

"That's the longest sentence she'd said." Tezuka thought as he looked at the regulars who are approaching them

"They're all boys?" she quietly asked

"Yes. Unfortunately, there's no girl in this school who's that good to pass the regular standards of the school." Tezuka explained

"Oh. That's bad." she nervously said seeing the guys are getting closer.

"Hey Tezuka! Who's-"

"This is Gabrielle Yvonne Miaskovsky. She's from Russia and from now she'll be studying here in Seishun Gakuen and- " he was cut by Momo

"OOOOhhhhhhh!!! You're giving her a tour around the school right?" Momo asked in great enthusiasm

"For your information, the coach had asked me to, and to add that I may tell you that she was the one who got hit by a tennis a while ago by two freakishly stupid regular members-"

"YOU MEAN SHE'S THE HOT CHICK?!!!?????" Eiji asked excitedly

"Huh? Pardoner?" Gabrielle asked, she was not sure of what she heard

"She can't quite understand Japanese." Fuji explained. Gabrielle noticed him and he gave her a gentle smile. She just stared back at Fuji. "Maybe that's how she says thank you." Fuji thought as he gave a small chuckle

"Ms. Miaskovsky, this is Oishi Syuuichiro. He's the vice-captain of the Tennis Club" Tezuka said

"Please, just call me Gabrielle."

"This is Ryoma Echizen, he's a Freshman. Kaidoh Kaoru, Inui Sadaharu, Kawamura Takashi, Syusuke Fuji and lastly, Kikumaru Eiji and Momoshiro Takeshi, the two idiots who hit you with a tennis ball."

"Well, we thought you're a mirage-" Eiji said apologetically

"And so to check if you're real, Eiji here tried to hit you-" Momo quipped

"Pft-!!! With a Tennis Ball!!!" Kaidoh muttered

"We're really sorry!" Eiji said

Gabrielle just stared back.

"I'm not sure she understood correctly." Fuji whispered at Eiji

"She doesn't speak at all! Aw.. she's just like Tezuka." Momo said glumly

Gabrielle heard this and eventually looked at Momo with a blank expression and then she looked at Tezuka who she noticed was gazing at her for a while. Surprisingly, she smiled sweetly at Tezuka which he hadn't seen before. A smile he hadn't seen before in his life. Seeing her smiling made him feel light and for him she seemed very charming. Very different from what he had seen a while ago. Yes. A whole lot different. Different from what he had seen in the office. She's more of a frowning and complaining a while ago. "Maybe, the heat's getting to her" Tezuka thought.


	4. Chap4: I am Gabrielle Yvonne Miaskvosky

CHAPTER 4 : "I am Gabrielle Yvonne Miaskvosky"

Eiji was walking along the corridor when he noticed there's a commotion going on the left side of his room. He eagerly rushed up and checked out what's going on.

"What's the hullabaloo?" he asked as he made way to the thick crowd

"What the-? Pffffttt! Tezuka!!! What in the world?" Eiji asked laughing his but out

The new girl, I mean Gabrielle was somehow having a slight conversation with Tezuka. Not actually a 'conversation' but a mere contest of staring. They're by the window doing nothing but stare at each other. Cold, really cold stare.

"Oi!! Cut it out you two! If I didn't know you Tezuka I'd say you're falling for this lovely lady in front of me! Geez!" Eiji said in enthusiasm as he put his left hand across Tezuka's left shoulder… "What are you up to?" he asked maliciously as he poke Tezuka in the arm.

"She can't quite understand Japanese." Tezuka answered

"So?"

"We can't have an ideal conversation" Tezuka said avoiding Gabrielle's eyes this time

"Pft. Like that matters! Aww come on. You could have told me if you wanted to kiss her. I'd gladly do it for you!" Eiji said in his mocking tone.

Tezuka glared.

"Okay! I'm just kidding!..... Fine, fine! I'm leaving!!"

As soon as Eiji left, Tezuka caught Gabrielle's very cold gaze. He shivered. He remembered that Gabrielle can also understand English and was very fluent in speaking it. He decided to talk to her in English then.

"Do you want me to show you your next class, I – I'm in it too." He stuttered as he met her gaze again. He never stuttered before. There's something with Gabrielle that makes him uneasy. "Oh fuck, why is she staring like that? Did I say something stupid?" he thought as he avoid her gaze

"I guess so. I don't know much people here and I'd rather stick with you than get in trouble for misunderstanding your language. . ." she wryly said as she thought of the bathroom incident she had 2 days ago.

Gabrielle blushed as she turned away from Tezuka "Damn it." she nervously thought

They went inside the room only to find out that the teacher arrived earlier than Tezuka had expected.

When he opened the door, he was surprised to find out that all eyes are fixed upon them

"I'm sorry teacher, were a bit late. This is Ms. Miaskovsky our transfer student from Russia – " he explained

"France." Gabrielle corrected him

"Ms. Miaskovsky!" the teacher said as he motioned his hands towards them, his voice sounds cocky and shaky, he led her in front so everybody can see her and Tezuka went on his regular seat. Third row from the left by the window.

"Everybody, this is Ms. Miaskovsky, she's going to be here for quite a while." The teacher said proudly as he placed his hands behind Gabrielle's shoulders. She could feel it shaking but decided not to shrug it off because she knows its rude

"I'm Gabrielle Yvonne Miaskovsky." She was a bit shy as she gave a nod. Her accent was a combination of French, British and Russian. They all looked at her as if there's something wrong. Their teacher too was surprised.

"I – is there something wrong? I- I'm sorry I don't quite understand Japanese" she said apologetically. Surprisingly a boy stood up

"On behalf of the class, I would like to say that you're very much welcome here in our school. I'm Takayanagi. Nice to meet you." He said as he gave a bow. Gabrielle smiled and gave him a nod. Everybody sweatdropped except for Tezuka and gave Gabrielle a look of mischief.

"Ms. Miakovsky, um. . . I suggest that you should also gave a bow in return." The teacher told her

"I don't give a bow. In Europe, ladies do curtsy like this. . . " she demonstrated it to her teacher but her head was still held high. "I'm ordered to give a curtsy with my head held low only to those who are superior than I, like to my father, my mother and my grand father." They all stared at her "I- I'm sorry it's a British thing, you won't understand."

"Ah. I see. It's what like royals do. But you – " the teacher said, Gabrielle's face was shock and somehow turned bitter

"Excuse me, she only meant that its their custom in Britain so I guess we should respect that." Tezuka stood up and spoke for Gabrielle. Murmurs filled the room.

"I was ordered to stop any personal questions by the school principal. My apologies Ms. Miaskovsky." He said as he lowered his head in respect.

She knew what he just did back then was for respect, because she was a royal. He was facing the heir to the Russian monarchy, if there is anymore. But he still showed respect for her because that's how it ought to be.

Somehow inside her, she's still royal, he thought.

"Ok, I guess that's enough greetings. Ms. Miaskovsky I think it should be best if I place you third row from the left, beside Tezuka Kunimitsu. You already know each other don't you?" he smiled as he gestured his hand towards the vacant seat beside Tezuka.

"Yes. We have met." She walked gracefully towards the empty desk, everyone watched. As she reached the desk she faced Tezuka who seem to have looked away when she was approaching.

"Gabrielle." She said, the class listening eagerly. Tezuka faced her.

"Huh? I beg your pardon?" he looked up

"Please call me Gabrielle, not Ms. Miaskovsky." She said as she sat down and fixed her skirt. Everyone was gawking. Tezuka felt a bit awkward beside her. "Thanks." She muttered under her breathe

"It's alright." Tezuka silently said as he watched the teacher wrote something on the board.

He understood what Gabrielle was thanking him for. He had saved her from humiliation, from exposing her worst secret ever.

That she was somehow part royal. He noticed that when the principal told him who she was:

"_Gabrielle Yvonne Miaskovsky, the great, great grand daughter of the Grand Duchess Alexandra from the house of royal Windsor. Particularly one of the next line to the royal family. She is the one and only daughter of Viktor Miaskovsky and Louise whose mother is of course the Grand Duchess Alexandra. If Russia would still have dynasties they would probably hold the crown_."

He remembered seeing her looking away as the principal had said who she really was. He understood perfectly well that this girl hated attention. Unlike any girl would gush everything about her being royal, but Gabrielle seemed different. Very different, he thought as he tried to focus on the lesson.


End file.
